Daniele Cernilli remembers his friendship with Alessio Di Majo, a key figure in Molisian vitienology. Alessio left us on April 19, leaving everyone dismayed and saddened.
It was among the things I didn’t want to experience. I knew he hadn’t been well for a while, he had a bad disease, but the hope that he might make it was there. But no, Alessio—my friend Alessio—is no longer with us.
He had wanted to go to Vinitaly at all costs. To that booth where I met him more than 30 years ago. Back there there was his father Louis with him, and Giorgio Grai, who served as his wine consultant. Right there were all the people Grai looked after, including Paola Di Mauro and Ampelio Bucci.
A key figure for wine-producing Molise
Alessio was a smiling, generous and good man. If he had not made wine in Molise since ancient times, that region would be much less talked about in terms of wine. The Red Ramitello It was probably the first wine to attract interest outside its region of origin, in Campomarino. Then it was cheap and good. For the young, enthusiastic, and penniless fans of that era—we’re talking about the 1980s—it was a godsend.
Alessio became so passionate that he took over the business reins, which his father slowly left him. It was not an easy task. It wasn’t just produced wine, but also oil, food products, arable land. There were hundreds of hectares to manage, as many as 130 hectares of vineyards alone. And a wide variety of wines, made from different grape varieties, including Montepulciano, Aglianico, Tintilia, Greco, and Falanghina.
Grai was succeeded by Riccardo Cotarella and his team of winemakers, led by Pierpaolo Chiasso. But Alessio was there, on the piece, superintending and circling the globe. Vendere vini del Molise, semisconosciuti, non era semplice.
How many times have we traveled together to reach a fair, an event organized by the Red Prawn and then by DoctorWine. Last time I met him on a train. You could tell he was sick, but he was smiling and joking anyway. He was only 63 years old. What a sorrow.
